Canaris (1954)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Alfred Weidenmann

Writers:

Erich Ebermayer (idea)
Erich Ebermayer (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 May 1955 (Belgium)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

Admiral Canaris is chief of the intelligence service of Nazi Germany. His department is quite successful...

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Hitler | Admiral | Plan Gone Wrong | Military Officer

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

O.E. Hasse	...	Adm. Canaris
Barbara Rütting	...	Irene von Harbeck
Adrian Hoven	...	Capt. Althoff
Martin Held	...	Obergruppenfuehrer Heydrich
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Col. Holl
Peter Mosbacher	...	Fernandez
Charles Régnier	...	Baron Trenti
Franz Essel	...	Beckmann
Alice Treff	...	Fräulein Winter
Herbert Wilk	...	Col. Degenhard
Klaus Miedel	...	André, franz. Offizier (as Claus Miedel)
Arthur Schröder	...	Herr von Harbeck
Ilse Fürstenberg	...	Frau Lüdike
Arno Paulsen	...	Taxifahrer (Berlin)
Nora Hagist

Also Known As:

Canaris Master Spy (UK)
Canaris: Master Spy (USA)
Deadly Decision (USA)
Ein Leben für Deutschland - Admiral Canaris (West Germany)

Runtime:

92 min | West Germany:112 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Fama-Film

Brilliant biopic, not 100 % historically correct, but nice

There seem to have slipped an error inside the plot, as outlined above. (concerning "Irene Heydrich")

In fact, Wilhelm Canaris is the head of the Abwehr, which is the counter espionage service of the Armed Forces. His rival is the super ambitious R. Heydrich, who is dreaming of concentrating all the spy and counter spy operations within his RSHA, which already includes the Gestapo. Canaris is against the brutal tactics of the Nazi services, and sees the activities of secret services more as a game between foxes, trying to outsmart each other. So, interrogations don't involve beatings or harsh treatments, but a drink, a smoke and lots of friendly persuasion. Famous successes of the Abwehr are the Englandspiel (see the movie London ruft Nordpol) and the French turncoat 'La Chatte', who gave away lots of names of the French Résistance. In this movie, Heydrich always was extremely curious to know about what the Abwehr was up to. He forces Irene von Harbeck to spy upon Canaris. The Abwehr chief gave forged papers to her father, but was arrested by Heydrich's services. If she doesn't help him, her father will get a very severe treatment. But stupidly enough, it is a high ranking RHSA-man who brings her to the Abwehr-building, and the driver gets reckognised by one of Canaris' top aides, who just was entering the building. In the end, Irene confesses that Heydrich has blackmailed her, and a bit later, Heydrich dies in an ambush in Prague.(see movie: Operatio Daybreak). Where Heydrich had direct contacts with Hitler, Canaris has to go through different bureaucratic ways to try to reach Hitler. But in the end, the German dictator shuts himself for any bad news, and very reliable reports about 30 new and fresh Russian divisions marching to Stalingrad don't end up on his desk. (For a brilliant portrait of the gradual degeneration of Hitler, see the movie Den Untergang). Canaris -already sympathetic to that cause- then joins the anti-Hitler forces. The plot fail and he gets arrested. He was executed the day before the end of the war, on strict orders of Hitler.

Lots of interesting historic documents throughout the movie